The Illuminatea Matcha Pistachio Crème Spread Is What Every Matcha Lover Needs

This Illuminatea matcha pistachio crème spread is AMAZING! I immediately
fell in love with it when I first licked it off my spoon. The first time I
tried it, I was spreading it on toast and just couldn’t wait patiently enough for
the toast. I just had to lick a bit off my spoon first…

And…

O MY GOSH. I FELL IN LOVE.

I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would this be matcha enough for me? Or would this be a
disappointment (which has happened with other products before)?

My standards for matcha are quite high already.

And the ILLUMINATEA Matcha Pistachio Crème exceeded my
expectations!

It is creamy, a bit nutty, not too sweet, and most
importantly very very matcha.

DELICATE BUT STRONG

Just a bit of this is powerful enough to send your taste
buds to matcha heaven. I had Kevin and our other friend Alexis try this matcha
pistachio crème and we were actually very surprised by just how flavorful it
is. Just a drop is potent enough! But we are all greedy and need more than just
a drop. So we ended up finishing the 8 oz jar quickly.

MORE MATCHA THAN PISTACHIO THOUGH

If you fancy the matcha + pistachio combination, where both
flavors are distinguishable, this is not for you. My friend Alexis actually
loves pistachio and was excited to try the flavor combo in spread form.
However, he was disappointed. Because this spread is called “matcha pistachio”,
he expected to taste pistachio flavors too but it is actually very faint. (Note:
Alexis does think the crème spread is absolutely delicious and very strong in matcha
though!)

If you happen to fancy the matcha + pistachio combo, this
may not be the right choice. This crème spread is definitely much more matcha
than it is pistachio at all, flavor /
taste wise.

I actually don’t like
pistachio flavored things so was a bit hesitant on this product. But, it
tastes exactly the way I like! I mean...LOVE! When using this product as a spread
on food like croissants, fruits, bread, ice cream, etc., the matcha flavor is
powerful but you will most likely not
taste pistachio at all (Like my friend Alexis). But if you just lick this oh-so-delicious crème by itself, you will taste a bit of nutty pistachio.
But just a bit.

YOU’RE PROBABLY THINKING IT’S A BIT PRICY – BUT IT’S WORTH IT

This is available online for $21. (It is also sold at Midori Matcha in Little Tokyo LA but idk what price.) The price may seem a bit steep, especially for a relatively tiny 8 oz
jar of spread. And you know, pistachios are expensive to grow as well. And
matcha isn’t cheap either But this is truly the case where price and quality
match(a) up. Heck, I am buying more (sorry bank) because this is such a well-made
spread and is great for gifts too.

It is possible to use this sparingly because each tablespoon
is packed with flavor. But who am I kidding… of course I am going to be
swimming in this!! And you might too!

The jar itself can last up to 6 to 8 months once opened.
Each tablespoon of this bad boy has the same amount of matcha as ¾ serving of
prepared matcha tea! Dang!

It’s also made right here in California using only natural
flavors, no artificial colors and no preservatives.

To compare, there is another creme spread sorta similar to this from Korea called Osullok Green Milk Tea Spread which is $14 for 7 oz on Amazon. Full review on that coming soon! But long story short, the Illuminatea version is more nutty while the Osullok version has a milky / vanilla candy-ish after-taste probably because it has artificial flavors.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Definitely refrigerate this once you open it! The
consistency is smooth like Nutella, but it will sorta harden (not as flowy)
when it’s cold or fresh from the fridge. If you left it in the fridge, make
sure to let it thaw for at least 30 minutes so it will be flowy and creamy
again and easy to spread!

Dip it with your fruits! I tried it with strawberries and it
tasted AMAZZZZZING! I don’t recommend it on toast because I feel like it’s such
a waste of spread. Instead, try it on waffles? Croissants? Cupcakes? The matcha
pistachio crème spread goes great with ice cream too!

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